The following description includes information that may be useful in understanding the present invention. It is not an admission that any of the information provided herein is prior art or relevant to the presently claimed invention.
Cardiac MRI is considered to be the gold standard for measuring cardiac structures and evaluating the heart muscle for a wide variety of conditions. It has not gained wide acceptance due to technical difficulties, including obtaining an adequate signal for ECG gating, the length of time required for examination, and the need for an extended series of breath holds for the various acquisitions. There is a need in the art for technology that will allow for a high quality cardiac MRI study during free breathing and without requiring electrodes on the patient's chest.